Zero to Hero: Dominating the NHL Season with Smart Bets – October 16
Hi, all. Every team has now played at least one game (and some have played three…weird scheduling). Tonight marks the end of the first full week of regular season action. No article yesterday – yet another two-game slate with no real safe value.
The premise of each article in this series is to feature a few “safe” foundational plays to build some strong cash lines around as well as to offer any props or straight bets that have some solid potential. We’re looking for players and teams that have a solid floor and are in a good spot matchup-wise; these will be the building blocks of a booming bankroll. (Yeah, I alliterized…deal with it.) I will also provide a recap from the day before and rewind to see if we were on the right plays. Keep in mind that just like a regular season, the building of a solid bankroll is a grind – it requires patience, mental fortitude, and discipline to weather the cold streaks until things turn around and you go on a heater.
Recap from 10/14
Player Builder: Rantanen (only three shots) ❌
Stack Builder: COL1 (one goal, but TWENTY SEVEN SHOTS…14 by Mac alone) ❌
Bet Builder: VGK/COL ML parlay ✅
Bet Builder Record: 3-0; +.2.37 units
The Player Builder: Auston Matthews ($9600 DK / $10300 FD)
Two straight hat tricks. Straight fire right now, so let’s ride the wave. Matthews is seeing the puck extraordinarily well right now. His linemates (both Obviously his 46% shooting is not sustainable, but when players like this catch fire, you have to jump on board. The Leafs are facing the Blackhawks tonight, and their defense is allowing 34 shots per game, which plays right into Matthews’s volume game. He’s expensive on both sites, but he can pay off his salary. I don’t expect him to get a third straight hat trick (though I wouldn’t be 100% surprised if he did), but I believe he can be successful and keep his hot streak going tonight.
The Stack Builder: TOR PP 1 (Matthews/Marner/Tavares/Nylander/Klingberg)
This line overall has had an exceptional start to the season. The Blackhawks have only given up seven power play opportunities so far in three games, but the Leafs have shown that they don’t need volume to produce…they’re scoring with the man advantage at a 57% clip. Two of Auston Matthews’s league-high six goals have come on the power play; William Nylander has added one of his own. This game should be face-paced as neither team plays particularly stout defense, which should lead to power play opportunities for both teams.
The Bet Builder: TOR/NYR ML parlay – around -110
The Leafs offense is on fire, especially Auston Matthews, who has recorded two straight hat tricks to start the season. William Nylander has three goals of his own in the first two games, and John Tavares has five helpers. The defense has left something to be desired, but if the offense can continue at this pace, it may not matter. Tonight they face off against Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks, who are 1-2 to start the season. Outside of the top power play line that has combined for four out of the team’s seven total goals, there’s not much offensively to speak of. This game (found around -350) is in Toronto, which adds another level of confidence in the home Leafs taking care of business.
The Rangers looked a little apathetic the other night against the young and upstart Blue Jackets. Their 5-1 win against the Sabres to start the season is more of what they should produce on a regular basis. Chris Kreider has looked fabulous to start the season with three goals in the first two games, and four other players are averaging a point per game or better. The Coyotes had a mildly surprising win against the Devils in their last game, but overall they are not quite on the Rangers’ level, plus New York has all-world goaltending in Igor Shesterkin, which adds to the level of confidence here. Madison Square Garden plays host to this matchup (found around -235), and the Rangers should be back in the win column after tonight.
Feb 7, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews (34) celebrates his goal against the Carolina Hurricanes during the second period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
